


Vermilion City Pokemon Shelter

by xenosaurus



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Shelter Setting, Gen, POV Alternating, POV Lesbian Character, Pokemon Training, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-21
Updated: 2018-04-21
Packaged: 2019-04-26 00:36:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14390430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xenosaurus/pseuds/xenosaurus
Summary: Finding homes for Kanto's misfit pokemon, one day at a time.





	Vermilion City Pokemon Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> hello and welcome to "laying facedown in pokemon worldbuilding"
> 
> This is a feel-good fic with brief references to animal abuse in the background of some of the shelter pokemon. I don't want anyone to feel sad reading this thing, all the pokemon are safe and in recovery from any bad things they've gone through!

By this point in her career, Marianne Joy has learned to be wary of calm. It’s the same for the shelter as it was for the pokemon center her mother worked at when she was growing up-- if things seem relaxed, that means you’re either missing something or it’s about to get _very_ loud.

After 45 minutes of paperwork with no noise except for her Nidoking’s gentle snoring, Marianne is ready for an interruption.

Right on schedule, the receptionist knocks on the door. Marianne knows it’s Lilo even before the door opens-- she’s the only one in the office who knocks like she’s setting the beat for a song.

“Yeah, Lilo, you can come in,” Marianne calls back. Her Nidoking, curled up in the enormous pokemon bed set up next to her desk, makes a snuffling sound and lifts his head in response to her voice. Marianne gives him a quick pat between the spines.

Lilo hovers in the doorway to Marianne’s office, an apologetic look on her face. She’s a short young woman, dark-skinned and pretty. She’s wearing orange lipstick today, the exact same shade as the trim on her uniform.

“Sooo, we have a situation.” Lilo draws out the word ‘so’ like she’s trying to delay having to actually finish the sentence.

Marianne puts down the paperwork she was reading with a sigh.

“Pokemon situation or people situation?”

“People situation,” Lilo says, grimacing. “Mrs. Bernard is here again.”

Marianne mirrors the sentiment. She’s heard stories about this one, and it must be serious if Lilo came for backup.

Marianne gets up from her desk, grabbing a clipboard from the rack on the way out of the room. Her Nidoking watches her sleepily, before deciding the situation isn’t worth sacrificing his nap. He’s back asleep almost immediately.

“What’s the clipboard for, Mar?” Lilo asks, while Marianne takes a random packet of papers from her desk.

“Makes me look more official. She’s obviously not scared of the damn Garchomp in the lobby, but maybe human authority will work.”

Marianne leaves her office. Lilo follows her, and out of the corner of her eye, Marianne can see the receptionist’s shadow jump unnaturally.

“You have your Gengar free-roaming today?” Marianne asks as they walk down the hall towards reception.

“Yeah! She’s doing so good, isn’t she? She even came out from under my desk!” Lilo turns to address her own shadow, which currently shows no sign of concealing a pokemon as far as Marianne can tell. “Did you hear that, Lucy? You’re such a brave girl!”

Sure enough, Lilo’s shadow shifts in response, swaying side to side. Marianne smiles. This is a good pick-me-up right before she has to deal with entitlement personified.

“Ma’am, you really should go through the Good Start program.”

Shit, that’s Tyler. Marianne turns to Lilo in alarm.

“You left Tyler alone with her?” she whispers.

“Peggy’s on lunch, _somebody_ had to stay with her!” Lilo protests. Marianne just sighs and pushes open the door.

“Hello, Mrs. Bernard. How can I help you?” Marianne asks, customer service voice in full effect.

Mrs. Bernard is a middle-aged woman with the least practical fake nails Marianne has ever seen. Tyler, the shelter’s volunteer coordinator, is a tall black man with a honeycomb tattoo on his wrist and braids pulled back with a yellow elastic. His Ribombee, Daisy, is perched on his shoulder. Behind the front desk, Lilo’s Torracat and Garchomp are watching the humans with a shared sense of boredom.

“Nurse Joy! Finally, someone reasonable!” Mrs. Bernard exclaims, ignoring Marianne’s question entirely.

Lilo and Tyler exchange a look and Marianne resists the urge to throw the clipboard at their guest.

“Mrs. Bernard, as I’m sure you’ve already been told, we don’t have any pokemon that would be appropriate for your daughter--”

“I don’t see why I can’t go in and see for myself,” Mrs. Bernard interrupts, which greatly amplifies Marianne’s desire to throw something.

“I already explained the training class to her,” Tyler says, arms crossed over his chest. Daisy starts patting his cheek with her tiny hands, trying to soothe him. Tyler tilts his head into the gesture to acknowledge her efforts.

“She’s already taking lessons through the school! She knows how to handle pokemon,” Mrs. Bernard argues.

“Ma’am, the pokemon we have here generally aren’t appropriate for a kid just starting out, especially if she isn’t going to have adult supervision,” Marianne explains, desperately willing this woman to understand.

“I know _multiple_ families whose children got their first pokemon through your organization!” Mrs. Bernard is only getting more agitated, and Marianne really wishes she’d brought her Nidoking along after all. Butch is good at looming until people stop yelling at his trainer.

“Oh, they probably got them from the Good Start event we hold in the fall!” Lilo jumps in to explain. “When we get very young pokemon or eggs, some of our fosters raise them special for the Good Start program so they’ll make perfect partners for new trainers.”

“And why can’t I have one of _those_ pokemon?”

“Um. Because they all go into the program. So that kids from the smaller towns can get starter pokemon too. The Good Start program finds trainers for them much easier than we could, so we really don’t keep suitable pokemon around unless Good Start’s doing one of their local events. It’s mostly pokemon with issues or older pokemon that--”

“Then give me an older pokemon!”

Lilo’s good cheer falters a little, and her Torracat finally comes out from behind her desk. He nuzzles her knee, then sits at her feet, glowering up at Mrs. Bernard.

“The older pokemon are rescues. They have specific needs--”

“I know some of your pokemon come from retired trainers. Those pokemon would make _great_ partners for a new trainer!”

Lilo’s Torracat does not appreciate his trainer being interrupted. He meows at Mrs. Bernard-- it isn’t terribly threatening, because he has a particularly small, cute meow, but Marianne is fully aware he’ll start spitting embers next. As much as Marianne would love to see that, it probably wouldn’t be good PR for the shelter to light a visitor on fire.

“Ma’am. I don’t mean to be rude, but we are not denying you a pokemon for your daughter out of spite. I’ve seen otherwise tame pokemon take bites out of beginner trainers seemingly out of nowhere, because the kids don’t know the pokemon’s limits. The pokemon in Good Start are trained from birth to be safe partners to young trainers who are bound to make mistakes. Pay Good Start’s registration fee, or, if you can’t afford it, talk to someone at the pokemon center,” Marianne says, in a tone that brooks no argument. Mrs. Bernard tries to interrupt her twice, but Marianne just talks over her.

That’s actually enough to make the woman falter, which Marianne takes as a victory. After a moment, Mrs. Bernard speaks again, less indignant this time. She isn’t addressing Marianne, having apparently decided Tyler is a safer conversational partner.

“So, um. What was that you said about classes?”

Marianne groans. Lilo’s mouth twitches like she’s trying not to smile.

“Come back with your daughter, then we’ll talk to her about classes,” Tyler says, staying remarkably calm. Lilo loses the fight against her smile and covers her mouth with a hand instead.

*

“I can’t believe you told her to get her daughter. I mean, you’re totally right, the ten-year-old is more likely to be reasonable, but it’s like telling a little kid to put mommy on the phone,” Marianne shakes her head and laughs.

Now that they’ve got Mrs. Bernard out of the building, she’s sitting across from Tyler in the break room. They’re sharing a styrofoam container of greasy takeout stir fry, their pokemon eating lunch nearby. Tyler’s Ribombee is sipping nectar from a special bottle, still sitting on his shoulder, while his Volcarona devours a large bowl of alfalfa on the floor. Marianne’s Nidoking is snacking on some high-protein kibble (figy berry flavor), occasionally trading morsels with her Audino, who prefers the pecha berry blend.

“I don’t know what her problem with the Good Start program is,” Tyler complains, gesturing with his chopsticks. He talks with his hands, even when there’s something _in_ his hands. Marianne has seen him point to things with a Caterpie before. “I wish they had that program when I was a kid! My first Weedle stung me four times in my first week!”

“Probably would have helped if you hadn’t tried to hug him. Don’t try to tell me you didn’t, I’ve known you for half a decade.”

Tyler points the chopsticks at Marianne.

“Bug pokemon are adorable and they deserve hugs.”

His Ribombee squeaks in agreement and throws her arms around Tyler’s neck. He raises his free hand to pet her, grinning.

“See? Daisy knows what’s up. You too, right, Cinder?”

Tyler’s Volcarona makes a tiny chittering sound but doesn’t even pause in her quest to devour her bowl of sprouts.

“Admittedly, I also got poisoned a lot when I first started. Hugging may have been part of the issue,” Marianne says, tilting her head towards her Nidoking. “But _I_ had basic medical training.”

“Don’t rub it in,” Tyler says. “We can’t all come from globe-spanning families of doctors.”

“That woman knew my name without an introduction. There are downsides.”

“Wait, you hadn’t met her? Lilo seemed to think you had.”

“Nah, Peggy dealt with her last time, and Lilo got her out of here herself the first time.”

“Holy shit, Marianne, you shaved your damn head and you’re still getting recognized?”

“It’s the cost of my beautiful face. Everyone I’m related to has the same one.”

“You should have taken your wife’s last name. Maybe they’re reading it off your nametag.”

“Do I need to get out my family photos? We all look identical.”

“Maybe it’s some kind of cloning--”

“Tyler, do not start with the cloning theory again.”

Tyler laughs and leans in, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

“Come on, you don’t know--”

The door to the break room swings open. Tyler startles mid-sentence and turns to look at whoever has interrupted the conversation. It’s Peggy, the shelter’s adoption counselor, her Togetic fluttering over her shoulder and one of the Pichu she’s fostering tucked under her arm. She has long brown hair and oversized glasses, a fashion choice Marianne has never fully understood.

“I’m gone for 20 minutes and I miss Mrs. Bernard?” she asks without offering a greeting, sounding affronted. “Did anyone die?”

Tyler laughs and pulls out a chair for her.

“Come sit, we’ll tell you everything.”

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is @[xenosaurus](http://xenosaurus.tumblr.com)


End file.
